Monday, November 30, 2009

Laci (to Grandma Farnsworth): My mommy has a baby in her tummy, and she didn't eat it to get it there.

Jason takes Laci to a nearby bedroom at his mom's house for timeout. She looks around and says: There's a lot of stuff I can get into.Jason replies: Good point. So he walks her to the bathroom. She takes another look around and says: Here, too.

Laci (to Baba Denham): Baba, do you want to hear my joke?Baba: Okay.Laci:Why does the chicken sit on it's eggs?Baba: I don't know. Why?Laci: (throwing her hands up in the air) Because it doesn't have a chair.Mom: Where did you hear that?Laci: Sid the Science Kid.

Papa (Denham): Laci, do you want a baby brother or a baby sister?Laci: I want a sister.Papa: Well, what if you get a brother and not a sister, would that be okay?Laci: No. I already have a brother!

Monday, November 23, 2009

#1 - Laci practiced all week to memorize her line for the primary program. Then I find out as her class is reciting it together, that it was a group assignment - not a solo.

Oh well. At least she will know what Mommy expects of her next year.

#2 - I went in for another OB visit on Thursday thinking that we were going to do a gender check (as mentioned by my doctor during last month's visit), only to find that we were one week off in measurements (still too early) - so we won't be able to find out till my next visit.

He was generous enough to schedule another appointment for 2 weeks from now, instead of the traditional 4. ... Yeah, I know that I was saying I want to keep this one a surprise because it's the tie-breaker, but Jason still doesn't see eye to eye with me on this one. Some things just aren't worht the battle.

#3 - Jason had the first Saturday off in - oh, the last 16 weeks - and I was lying flat in bed for 2 days with a fever, chills, and a congested nose!

My house looked like a tornado ripped through here when I could finally get up this morning, but I am so grateful that he was home because I could not get up without feeling like the room was spinning! My sweet hubby even made chicken for dinner last night! I laid on the couch giving him directions, but he did it all himself...and all without a single complaint! I'm so proud!

Friday, November 6, 2009

Laci thinks that she can talk her way out of anything. When she tries to "persuade" us that her actions are okay or that she shouldn't get in trouble, she doesn't know when to stop talking back. I try to keep punishment within the realm of the offense; for example, if she jumps on the couch or my bed, she doesn't get to sit on either the rest of the day. For talking back, she gets soap in her mouth, which she absolutely detests - but I really resent having to pin my child down to enforce it. So, I've been reviewing in my mind all the leverage I have against her - cartoons, playing with friends, even preschool and gymnastics (which I have taken away before). Then, a new idea came to me: give her extra jobs. Already she has her daily chores - make her bed, brush teeth, bath, etc. On a weekly basis, she vacuums her room and cleans the bathroom (with Mom's help, of course). Most of the time, she completes her daily chores cheerfully and without incident. She typically completes them within 15-20 minutes. Most of the time, she's really self-motivated. But, I also don't give her a huge "laundry list" of chores, either.

After deciding to give her extra jobs for talking back, I warned her at the beginning of the week that when she talked back she would get extra jobs, and that she would do them on Friday after completing her "big" (weekly) jobs. From Monday until today, she tallied a total of 10 extra jobs; (I was lenient). I made a list of things ranging from wiping down windowsills, baseboards, and kitchen cabinets to vacuuming and dusting various rooms in the house. She needed my help with the vacuuming, which I expected she would. But, I figured it would still be a punishment because it's in addition to and out of the ordinary from what I normally expect. And, aside from the vacuuming, she did everything else herself. When she completed one job, I told her what the next one was and told her how I expected it to be done, then checked it when she told me she was finished before moving onto the next job.

That girl! She cheerfully did every job and completed all 10 in less than an hour. All she had to say at the end of it was that "all this work is making me starving!" I'm not going to complain - her doing it saves me from having to do it later. But, now I'm wondering if it's even a punishment!

I'm appealling to moms everywhere: what do you think? And, how would you proceed?